Tainted Warrior
by K.N. Lee
Summary: Welcome to a place where the rivers run red, the trees are charred, black and dead. Welcome to a place inside Alice's head. This time Alice returns Wonderland, the place that destroyed her mind...for revenge!
1. Chapter 1

**Tainted Warrior**

**K.N. Lee**

"Doctor, I've been having those…" Alice paused. Her large blue eyes darted around the room. She feared that the walls would begin closing in at any moment. The ticking of the large wall clock taunted her when all she wanted was silence.

Dr. Stein cleared his throat and wiped the lenses of his glasses on his red tie. He put them back on and stared at the disheveled, manic, teen that sat in his brown, leather, chair.

"Please continue, Alice."

She swallowed and wrung her white fingers until they turned red and raw. Her knee bounced and her eyelid twitched. Three years of counseling and she had made zero signs of progress.

"I've been having those dreams again," Alice blurted it out. She covered her face with her thin hands.

Alice tried to calm her breathing. She felt that the moment she spoke those words aloud, then the demons from her dreams would hear her and would come for her.

She would have sobbed uncontrollably if Dr. Stein hadn't left his seat to comfort her. He put a warm hand on her knobby shoulder.

"Calm down, Alice." 's voice was usually soothing, but not this time. He smoothed her long, messy, black hair and she started to catch her breath.

She looked at him as he knelt on one knee before her. He had friendly chestnut colored eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

Still, something was not right.

Alice felt the temperature of the room change and noticed something was different about . She tensed. Her eyes widened when she saw his curly, graying hair, start to sway as though a breeze swept through.

Dr. Stein's gaze never faltered. He stared into hers with an unsettling intensity. Alice was certain that something was wrong.

There was a flicker of light behind his glasses and she was sure she saw a shadow reflecting on the lenses. She sucked in a breath and swirled around to catch whoever was behind her.

No one was there. Just the old fashioned wall papered wall. She wrapped her arms around herself and held tight, as though to keep the sudden chill of the room at bay.

"What is it Alice?" 's soft voice grabbed her attention.

She shook her head. "Nothing," she whispered. She barely heard her own voice. Alice doubted that Dr. Stein had heard her response. Her eyes seemed to focus on his brown leather shoes. Her thoughts drifted to a place far from that room.

"Tell me about Wonderland, Alice."

Alice shrieked at the mention of the place that haunted every second of her life. She pursed her lips and backed away from him. She climbed onto the headrest of the chair. She looked around and gasped as the shutters slammed closed. All sunlight was stolen from the small, cluttered, office.

Alice hesitated. She stared at the windows. The darkness made her hold her breath.

"Doctor?"

Dr. Stein didn't answer. He never even flinched.

"What's happening?" Alice shouted as she tried to keep steady on the couch as the room began to shake. Her eyes widened as Dr. Stein stood with perfect balance, all while the books from his shelves fell onto the floor and his papers swirled around the room. He pulled a time piece from his pocket.

"You're late, Alice," he said as he tapped the face of the watch. "You're late."

"No," she whispered. Her throat tightened with horror. Her fear rose as fast as her heart rate. She'd never forget the White Rabbit saying those words. How could Dr. Stein know those words?

"You're late!" 's voice echoed throughout the room as he lunged at her. He grabbed her face and she screamed as loud as her voice would allow.

Alice sucked in a breath as his hair caught fire.

The room became consumed with violent flames. She screamed and beat at his face with her fists. It was useless. Alice fought to remove his hands from her cheeks.

He clutched at her tighter, as the flames traveled from his body to hers. The flames licked and burned her skin. She could smell dying flesh and the pain made her want to vomit. She was going mad.

Alice was already…mad.

"You're late!"

Alice woke in the most violent manner. Her lungs were sore and burning from her screams. She was soaked in sweat. Her nightgown clung to her moist skin.

Her face was wet from a mixture of sweat and blood from ripping at her eyelids. Alice had been trying to pry her eyelids open with her ragged nails to free herself from her nightmare. The scars all over her face would never heal if she continued to relive that nightmare, night after night.

Alice sat upon the bottom bunk in the dark room she shared with three other orphans. Everything was calm, but she was fed up with this way of life. Her roommates had grown immune to her night terrors and had gotten used to sleeping with earplugs.

Everyone called her crazy, loony, or… clinically insane. The authorities claimed that she had killed her family by setting their house on fire. She didn't remember such a thing. She was glad she didn't remember such a thing.

It was odd to think that she had actually done that. Alice remembered loving her parents and younger sister, but if the police said it was so, then it must be true. Besides, she was crazy, and this much she knew to be true. Who else spews tales of talking, vanishing, cats, and armies of playing cards who fought for a red queen that ruled in a fantastical world called 'Wonderland?'

Alice was done.

She realized that she would never achieve sanity after all she had been through. She would end this tonight.

Not even Dr. Stein could help her now.

Alice leapt from her bed. The musty, old, floorboards creaked beneath her landing. The other girls never even stirred, they were peaceful in their slumber.

How she envied them.

She crossed the room and out the door. She raced down the thin hallways as though something, or someone, chased her. She heard the faint whispers coming from the walls, but she ignored them.

The blood rushed to Alice's ears and her skin tightened with fear. The shadows danced and reached for her as she passed. She forced them from her mind.

Nothing could stop her now. She only hoped that the hallway would stay in place. They tended to get longer and longer to prevent her from reaching her destination. She would not fall for their tricks tonight.

Alice all but crashed into the bathroom. She was relieved that she had made it. She was nearly out of breath, but as determined as ever.

Wonderland would die with her. She turned the single bulb of light on and almost shrieked at her reflection. Her eyes were red. Her pale face was stained with blood. Her blue eyes were clouded with tears and blood as she stared at herself. She had once been a pretty girl, a good girl. How could all of this happen to her?

Alice became angry. She ground her teeth. Her blood boiled with untamed rage.

She punched the glass of the mirror.

The sound was loud and satisfying. The glass cracked along the center. A few shards fell into the rusty sink.

Alice grabbed a chest heaved from her labored breaths. The pain of her life was too intense. She had no friends. She had no family. Alice didn't remember what a hug felt like. She didn't remember what love felt like.

She barely felt the sting of the glass as it cut her fingertips. She slit the soft, thin, flesh at the base of her wrist. To her surprise, the pain began to alleviate, as sure as the blood dripped into the sink.

A maniacal grin was brought to her face. A heavy weight was lifted. Her breaths finally slowed. She felt at peace.

_Finally_.

"Good girl Alice. I knew you were special," someone whispered.

Alice's head shot up and she gasped. She nearly crashed into the door as she backed away. She slipped on her spilled blood and grabbed the sink to catch her balance.

Alice stared back at the Cheshire cat who gazed at her from the cracked mirror. It made his orange face seem disfigured with his grin splattered across the broken glass.

"What do you want?" Alice snarled. Her brows were furrowed in malice. She lifted the bloody glass shard towards him. Seeing his face ignited something feral, and dangerous, within her.

The Cheshire cat eyed the weapon. His grin widened.

"_Alisssss_," he hissed. "You make me proud."

She wobbled back. Her energy drained with the blood that puddled onto the dirty linoleum floor. She shook her head and tried to remain focused. The room spun.

"What do you want, Cat?"Her voice echoed down the broken glass corridor that appeared in the mirror. It was a dark hallway that seemed to go on forever.

He chuckled and gave her an irritating smirk. "You, Alice. I've always wanted, you."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"_We_ want you back."

She scoffed. "Why would I want to go back? That place was the end of me."

"Where else would you go now girl?"

Alice stared at him and her lips pursed. She looked at her bleeding wrist. She couldn't turn back now. She couldn't collect her spilled blood and shove it back into her veins.

The deed was done. What could be worse than a rundown orphanage where they drugged her every morning? It was a place where everyone looked at her like a worthless murderer. She looked past the Cheshire cat.

Alice knew where that corridor of broken glass led.

"Come Alice," he coaxed, reaching a paw through the looking glass.

Alice had nothing left to lose. She grabbed his paw with her bloody hand. He didn't waste any time. He pulled her into the other side of the mirror.

Alice's body was sucked from the bathroom. Every bone and muscle shrunk inward with the pull. Her body felt as though it was crushed by a heavy weight.

"Much has changed in Wonderland," The Cheshire cat whispered, but it was too late for her to turn back.

"What do you mean, Cat?" Alice followed him. She looked down as her last drop of blood spilled onto the corridor of glass. She marveled as her blood turned the roadways bright red. It stretched like a bridge over the dark river.

Something wasn't _had_ changed. Alice stared into the abysmal pool at her reflection. She wore a red dress with a black smock. White and black, stripped, stockings stretched upwards to her inner thighs. Her tattered sandals were replaced by sparkling red shoes.

"Let's just say," the cat began. "You're going to need that shard of glass on more than yourself this time."

Alice looked at the shard of glass. It had become a dagger of some sort. The blade had become crystallized, with a silver handle. She looked ahead. Her black hair swayed in the early dawn breeze of Wonderland. However, the sky was painted red, as was the ground, and the trees were absent of leaves. They were simply charred sticks and twisted twigs blackened and lifeless.

Alice gulped.

"This isn't Wonderland, Cat. Where have you taken me?"

"Oh, but it is _Alissss_. It is what you've made it child." His grin extended as he lifted his body higher into the air. Smoke began to surround his emaciated purple and gold body.

"This is _your_ Wonderland."


	2. Chapter 2

Tainted Warrior

Chapter 2

Alice clutched the crystal handle of her new dagger. The crystal was cold and the grooves pressed into her palm. The dagger felt as though it was made just for her.

Having a weapon, and one as glorious as the crystal dagger in her grasp, felt right.

She swallowed and took a step forward. The Cheshire cat floated above her. His devious smile taunted her. Rows of sharp, silver, teeth gleamed at her.

Alice almost felt that he was taunting her. He wanted her to think that he was on her side, a friend perhaps, but Alice knew better.

Wonderland had won. They had her back after she had fought to stay away. Alice wasn't completely naïve. She had assessed the alternative. The truth was, Alice was more afraid of the unknown. She had killed herself. If not Wonderland, where would she have gone?

Visions of everlasting fire taunted her. If Wonderland was real, then perhaps Hell was as well, and Alice was certain that that's where she would have gone. Children that kill their parents and siblings didn't go to Heaven, at least, not in Alice's mind.

Alice glared at her surroundings. She was stunned by the drastic change, but oddly, it suited her new attitude. This time, she wouldn't be fooled. This time, she would not be the meek little girl she was before. She would seek out those that ruined her. Alice would kill them all.

"What are you thinking, Alissss?"

Alice cast her glare at the cat. "Shoo. I know my way from here."

The Cheshire cat's grin only widened. He chuckled and spun around and around, making her dizzy. His purple and orange blended with the red sky.

"But, Alissss. Things have changed. Wonderland is not how you left it. You're dead. Thus Wonderland has," he paused and looked at the red sky in thought. "Shall I say, Wonderland has…adapted, to fit your new reality?"

Alice shrugged. She looked down at the black and deep green forest below. The trees seemed to reach for her. She knew she had to get down there, but there weren't any stairs. This bridge ended abruptly and stood in the sky with a steep drop to the blood filled river.

Alice didn't know where she got her insane ideas, but somehow she trusted them more than anything right then. She clenched her jaw, closed her eyes, and took a leap from the bridge.

Cool air encircled her. Her skirt billowed out like an umbrella. Alice opened her eyes and grinned evilly. "Call it what you want. I want her head." She remembered the red queen's twisted face. She wanted to lop her head off and carve a new face into the dead flesh. It would be her prize.

The Cheshire cat chuckled again. "Good girl." He started to fade. "_Good girl_."

Alice glanced up and sighed. She was alone. She floated through the swift breeze as her skirt carried her along. It was an unreliable means of travel. If the wind changed direction, she would have no choice but to go along with it.

_For now_, Alice thought. _It will have to do._

She was glad to be alone. The Cheshire cat's voice annoyed it. It grated on her mind like a sharp nail.

_It's better this way_.

Alice swept through the charred forest that had once been lush and green. Her skin tightened at the chill in the air. It was cold, and yet there appeared to be lava trailing through the ground. Alice sneezed. A tiny gray particle fell onto the small tip of her nose.

Alice sneezed again and dusted the ash from her nose. She frowned at the gray residue on her fingers.

_That's odd_, Alice frowned. She didn't remember a volcano from before. Her black hair whipped around her face and she pulled strands out of her eyes as the wind picked up.

Alice held her breath and braced herself for a rough landing. As if someone was pushing her, the wind forced her downward and into a thorny rose bush. Alice yelped and hopped from the bush.

Her entire body stung as thick, red, thorns pierced the exposed portions of her flesh. Her scream resonated through the entire forest.

The thorns were alive. They didn't just get stuck in her skin. The thorns tried to wiggle their way into her body.

Alice's eyes widened at the piercing, burning, pain, as the thorns hit muscle. She screamed and frantically started yanking the bothersome thorns out with both hands. She dropped her dagger and focused on ridding herself of the painful prickles.

Alice shook with terror as she pulled out ghastly thorns covered in blood.

A vine snapped out from the bush and grabbed her dagger. Alice gasped and threw herself onto it. The vine growled.

Alice grabbed her dagger and pulled with all of her might.

The vine wrapped around the blade. Alice gritted her teeth. There was a tug of war between the girl and the vine. She gave it her all and pulled the dagger back. She used the blade to slice the rubbery green rope. It was strong, and fought back.

The vine made a shrill noise as she stabbed it over and over again. It coiled back like a wounded snake, exposed its tiny teeth, and growled. Alice kicked it in its mouth with her laced up black boots and it vanished.

Alice scrambled to her feet and backed away. Crows cawed above her. Shadows crept in closer from the dense, dark, trees. Whatever was left of the daylight vanished. Darkness filled every crevice of the forest. The only light came from a pale yellow crescent moon. Its yellow rays spilled through tightly knit gaps in the trees charred canopy.

Alice looked up. It made the moon's light look like a series of yellow eyes. This is not what she expected. She almost wanted to go back home. Home didn't exist.

Alice held tight onto her dagger. It was all she had to protect herself. Her eyes darted around and she turned in circles, waiting for something to leap out at her.

She heard a low chuckle. A familiar chuckle.

"I told you, Alisss. You're going to need to use that dagger on more than yourself…"

Alice cursed under her breath. If only she knew how right he was.


	3. Chapter 3

Tainted Warrior

Chapter 3

The red sun was setting and Alice felt the cool night air chill her pale cheeks.

_Shelter_, Alice thought. She needed to get somewhere warm and safe. She looked down at the brush laden path. She knelt and pulled thick grass away from the dirt. There was a faint trace of an old road. A smile spread across her face.

"Hatter…" Alice whispered. "I hope you're up for a visit."

There was a quick drop in temperature as the last light of the sun faded. Alice rubbed her arms and braced herself for the first gust of cold wind. She trudged through the thick underbrush of the forest and kept her eyes on her surroundings. She held tight to the hilt of her dagger…just in case. She didn't know what creatures lurked in the shadows, but she would be ready for them if they jumped out.

Her mind was sharper than when she was back at the asylum. She had been drugged every morning with multi-colored pills that barely allowed for her to stay lucid. She would sit in a chair with her knees drawn into her chest and stare at the door. Who she expected to walk through the door…Alice didn't know.

Her nose felt numb and she began to shiver. The wind seemed to beat at her. She had to fight to stay on the path. The bushes reached for her. Yellow eyes blinked at her from all around. She was afraid. Alice was used to being afraid. She knew her challenge would be to harness that fear. Her enemies had no idea what was coming.

Alice flexed her fingers. Her eyes widened with joy when she saw lights in the distance. The Mad Hatter's house.

She smiled. Her smile faded when she heard a low growl behind her. Alice was too afraid to look. Instead…she ran.

Her heart raced as quickly as her legs. Crashing thumps chased her.

Alice ground her teeth as she ran for the house. Alice heard teeth gnashing behind her. Her eyes widened. She could only imagine what chased her. Whatever it was, refused to let her free.

Alice closed her eyes and let out a long, slow, breath. With a cry out, she swirled around and slashed her dagger through the darkness. Blood squirted into her face as the sharp blade cut through the throat of a monster that could have only existed in her deepest, darkest, nightmares.

Four large eyes looked back at her in pain, and the wolf-like creature slumped to the ground. Alice breathed with relief. Her heart thumped so hard that she had to put her hands over her chest to calm herself. She closed her eyes. Her mother's blue eyes looked back at her. The woman smiled. That smile was burned away by violent flames. The screams made Alice cry out.

"Mama! Papa!"  
>She screamed their names into the night. She sat up and rubbed the tears from her eyes, and only smeared blood onto her face.<p>

Alice was angry. She hated that asylum, but at least the pills they forced her to take kept the memories at bay. At least she didn't have to face her family's ghosts.

"Welcome home, Alice," a familiar voice said into the night. Alice swirled around, searching for who had spoken.

A smile began to form on her face. This was his game. She would play. She would do anything to forget the screams of her dying family.

"Hatter," Alice called. "Come out so I can see! It's been too long!"

She heard snickering behind her. She swirled around. Nothing. No one. Darkness.

Alice folded her arms across her chest and pretended to pout. "No fair. You cannot vanish on me like that. Can't you tell that I missed you?"

Before she could blink, he had her by her forearms. Large blue eyes looked at her from under a large, purple, top hat. Alice gasped. He kissed her, quickly, full on her lips. Then, the Mad Hatter vanished again.

Breathless, and speechless, Alice looked for him. She hopped over the dead body of the beast that had chased her and ran towards the Mad Hatter's house. Now, all of the lights were lit in every window of the house. There was loud, cheerful, music.

"A party," Alice squealed as she grinned and ran for the front door. When she reached it, it swung open and there he was, leaning against the door frame, with a long pipe in his mouth.

Alice paused. Something was different about him. She felt her body tensed and her face flush.

"Hatter?"

He took the pipe out of his mouth, removed his top cat and bowed. "At your service, my lady."

Alice gulped. He looked…different. She realized that all of Wonderland had changed. This Mad Hatter made her forget her words and want to clean the blood and dirt off her face. His large blue eyes were the same, but somehow that smile of his was just a little more charming than she remembered. His hair, as golden as the sun, was pulled back into a ponytail at his nape. Blonde brows furrowed as he looked at her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" He stood and put the top hat back on and the pipe back into his mouth.

Alice shook her head, mouth agape. "Hatter," she said again, feeling stupid that she couldn't think of something better to say.

"Ah, come now, just call me Mads." The Mad Hatter reached an arm out for her. Now, come, let's celebrate."

Alice nodded. "Sure, Mads." She locked arms with him. She couldn't stop staring as he whisked her away into his old house and closed the door behind them.

_Oh my, things have surely changed_, she thought.


End file.
